-Comfort:

One of the important reasons why you should get a humidifier is the comfort and health benefits they provide you and your family. With the improvement of humidity in the room there are fewer chances of asthma and allergic reactions and also it provides comfort to anyone with a cold.

The increase of humidity can keep the inside of your nasal passages well moisturized and helps you heal faster and also improves sinus health. It also helps forbidding snoring and provides a quality sleep for you and your family.

-Safety:

A cool mist humidifier is chosen preferably than a warm mist humidifier due to safety reasons. Since a warm mist humidifier heats water to create steam there may be some chances that children or pets burn themselves on the unit. Due to the same reason, a cool mist humidifier should be kept in the room.

-Cost:

Again the same reason, a warm mist humidifier uses boiled water to create steam and for heating water, it uses more energy, whereas, a cool mist humidifier only uses a fan. If you are thinking of having your humidifier on for a large portion of the day or thinking of buying more than one humidifier for the home then the extra cost can be a problem. Buying a cool water humidifier can be an affordable option for the time.

-The Area Covered:

Cool mist humidifier is able to escalate their effects over a much wider area, while on the other hand, warm mist humidifiers are able to have a more concentrated effect close to the humidifier with less effect on the areas away from it. Due to this reason, always try to have a warm mist humidifier for small rooms and for large rooms a cool mist humidifier is best suited.

Conclusion

If we conclude which one is the best, although a warm mist humidifier has its own benefits still it loses to the cool mist humidifier in the important areas of safety, price and area covered.

So if you are looking to improve the comfort and health benefits for you and your family we would recommend you to get a cool mist humidifier.

Pictured here is a wonderful Lebanese dish that I made last night called ‘bazella’. Bazella literally means peas, but it also refers to this dish of peas and carrots, usually accompanied by chunks of lamb in the same pot. I made the vegetarian version. This is so much more than just peas and carrot. They are simmered in a broth of onions, tomatoes, spices, and in the end, a ton of cilantro and fresh lemon juice is thrown in. Good, simple soul food.

I decided to get busy in the kitchen today and make mini spinach pies, or ‘fatayer bi sbanikh’. I ended up making so much dough and didn’t have enough of the spinach filling, so I had to get creative. First, the spinach being rolled up in the whole wheat dough.

Then, fresh out of the oven, steaming hot.

I also filled some with the leftover vegan cheese I had from the pizza I made the other day, then I made a few zaatar bread (zaatar is an Arabic spice made of sesame seeds, sumac, and thyme, traditionally eaten with bread), and I even filled one with some dark vegan chocolate I had sitting in the cupboards. Yum! Eventually, I ran out of fillings and had to bake the rest of the dough as rolls. I will freeze them and pull them out when needed.

That’s the zaatar bread.

I plan on making a ton of spinach filling next time I make these. Over the next few months, I will make a batch every couple weeks or so and freeze it. They freeze really well, and I want something that I can take out of the freezer and heat up and eat within 5 minutes when baby E is here. I don’t usually buy anything with wheat flour in it, and if I make anything, it is always whole wheat. This is a good exception, as it is mostly spinach and a very good convenience food that can be frozen.

After eating a few bowls of bazella, followed by the taste-testing of spinach pies, and the various other filled pies, I passed out on the bed. Now I’m off to wash dishes and then go for my nightly freezing walk.

I picked up a few cookie tins at the dollar store, as well as some Christmas-y lining paper. Tonight Todd and I baked lots of cookies and packaged them in these tins to send off to his parents and his sisters. Todd also made a CD for his sister’s husband. And we’re done with that side of the family. Bonus: I get to ship them all to one location, as the in-laws will be visiting the sister-in-law in San Diego.

As for this side of the “family” (mine), we’re still trying to figure out how to avoid Christmas, with my grandmother being sick and the whole “it might be her last Christmas” guilt trip that we’re getting. Apparently, my harsh letter expressing my absolute unwillingness to be a part of Christmas doesn’t mean anything. Bastard I wanted to enjoy some grilled mouth-watering dishes but everything is spoiled.

Christmas Cookie Tins:

Due to all that fun, nerve-wracking driving that I did in the last week, my right shoulder is absolutely killing me. The pain is shooting up my neck and down to my legs. Todd has been diligently massaging it, but I have no idea how I’m going to get to work tomorrow. Oh, that’s right – yet another reason to not go in! At this rate, we’ll be broke in no time. Weeee!

I can always sell my body. There’s got to be someone out there who wants a hormonal poofy pregnant lady, right? Ha, ha, ha.

I made vegan stuffed shells, based on a few recipes I read, but mostly based on pulling some ideas out of my ass. They turned out yummy, but I made the mistake of cooking them in the oven for too long – mostly because I used brown rice pasta shells, and was too impatient to wait for them to cook in the boiling water on the stove top – so I stuck them in the oven instead for a long time causing the tofu/spinach mixture that was initially very yummy to become rather not-as-yummy.

Before going into the oven, I sprinkled a bit of nutritional yeast on top and then loaded it with spaghetti sauce.

Out of the oven, steaming hot.

Next time I will cook the shells all the way through, and then only stick the dish in the oven for 5 minutes at the most.

No recipe, but the ingredients were:

1 jar organic fat-free sugar-free spaghetti sauce, pureed (Whole Foods is the only place in the world that I have found a spaghetti sauce that doesn’t have oil, sugar and is completely organic).

1 8 oz. box Tinkyada brown rice stuffed shells

And in the filling:

1 lb extra firm tofu

1 lb spinach

2 cloves garlic

tahini

a tiny bit of nutritional yeast

We can make the sauce using a stand mixer attachment. You will be able to make the filling and the sauce quickly in the stand mixer.

I’ll be making this again soon, perhaps with a little more spinach, a little less tofu, and a little less cooking time. Yummy!

I loosely followed this recipe with variations to make it healthier. I just tested a piece and it is moist, lightly sweet, and delicious. I don’t bake very often and try to avoid whole wheat flours in general, but the occasional exception is fine. I used whole spelled to this bread. It is lighter than whole wheat.

1/2 teaspoon vanilla (I probably would have used a whole teaspoon, but I ran out)

1.5 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.

Mash the bananas and add all the wet ingredients.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix well. Pour batter into the pan. I used a 9×5 loaf pan, and as you can see it rose beautifully. Baked in the oven at 275-300 for at least an hour and a half. (I prefer to bake banana bread at longer and lower temps – I think this is what helped the bread come out so moist).

Oh, I also threw in a couple spoonfuls of raw unsweetened cocoa bean nibbles. It gives the bread a nice little crunch. Yes, baking with really expensive raw cocoa beans is kind of stupid.

This is really easy to make and quite delicious, I encourage you to try it. Of course, you can use sugar or maple syrup instead of agave nectar, and regular flour instead of whole spelled – but why would you? If you have any doubts feel free to contact us here. 🙂

The best feature of a stand mixer is that it comes along with many attachments and accessories which can be used to perform a variety of tasks and makes your work a whole lot easier. With so many stand mixer attachments, the need to buy other kitchen tools to perform various tasks has reduced. Are you wondering which stand mixer attachment should you invest in?

We have compiled a list of the 6 stand mixer attachments which you must have for your kitchen:

Grain Mill

One of the best stand mixer attachments which you should definitely have is a grain mill attachment. A grain mill attachment eliminates the need to buy a Grain mill and helps you in milling your own flour and making your own bread as and when needed. With this attachment, you can get a fresh loaf of bread whenever you want.

Meat Grinder

Another great attachment which is a must-have is the meat grinder attachment. This attachment comes handy in grinding your sausages and mincing your meat for hamburgers. With this attachment, you don’t have to manually slice or grind the meat anymore, your stand mixer will do it for you in just a matter of minutes. You can then use this ground meat on your hotdogs or hamburgers and make your own fresh fillings for your burgers and sandwiches now.

Citrus Juicer

Another great attachment for your stand mixer is the Citrus Juicer which can be used to produce any fruit juice that you want. All you have to do is feed the citrus juicer a fruit and it would get the juice out of it in just a few minutes. So, now you can have a daily dose of fresh fruit juice in no time at all.

Beater

This is another must-have attachment for your stand mixer as it comes handy in performing all the tasks of a hand mixer and can mix dough or prepare cake and cookie batter for you quickly and efficiently. You don’t have to put in any manual effort anymore, you can just relax and your stand mixer will take care of it all.

Wire Whip

This attachment is a great investment for all those people who love whisking eggs for breakfast or who love cakes a lot. This handy attachment can whisk your eggs quickly and provide you consistently whisked eggs which you can then use in your cake batter too. One of the best stand mixer attachments to have, this one is a must-have in your list if you don’t want to tire your arms with the constant whisking anymore.

Food Processor

Well, this one is actually a no-brainer really. A food processor attachment is the best attachment for your stand mixer as it allows you to cut up and slice up vegetables and fruits quickly and easily. In fact, with the help of this attachment, you can also make vegetable purees for yourself with tremendous ease.

Irrespective of what the TV shows and movies make you believe successfully running a restaurant whether big or small is something newbies and so called accomplished businessmen struggle with alike.

It needs tons of work, sweat, discipline and most of all perfect time and task management as you’ll be cooking, tasting, managing, recruiting, need I go on? So we interviewed 5 of best chefs around and asked them what it takes. Here’s what most had to say.

Stay Focussed

Well it’s easy to lose sight of what you love to do with so much work in hand. From one spot to the next it’s always going to seem like a whirlwind of a day which at times gets really frustrating. After all if you love the kitchen that’s where you’d want to be right?

Remember what matters, in the end, is the quality of the food you serve and the customer experience. Give them a lifetime of a dining experience and your PR will peak.

Lay a strong foundation

Not only for your building but laying down a strong foundation or in other words streamlining the work early on sets up a nice tone for the future. You’ll be managing 100’s of tasks and people which during hectic times can result in mismanagement or inconsistencies.

Set firm systems and line of communications amongst waiters, chefs, and other members. No two restaurants function the same way, see what best suits yours.

Build the right team

One of the most difficult tasks you’ll need to accomplish is setting up a team. Finding people that share your interests or have same passion isn’t easy especially if you’ve just started out and have small, hot, cramped up kitchens.

In the end, it’s about getting the job done irrespective of the circumstances and helping your employees learn and adapt. That’s how the best restaurants operate. Here’s a team building guide you’d like to read about first.

Maintain a balance

It’s easy to get caught up with the work but one the best traits of any entrepreneur is that they always find a way back home at the end of the day. Finding this balance especially if you’ve got kids is important.

Trouble at home means trouble at work. Everyone starts small. Make the most of what’s around you and don’t let complacency slip in.

Keep up the quality

Like I said everyone starts small but only the ones that take their service and quality seriously are the ones that succeed. Make the most of the funds you have. Bring the best ingredients, materials and more importantly the best employees.

Having happy employees translates to happy customers. You’ll not always around so make sure you train them right and treat them right and you’ll have a lot less to be tensed about or running around.

If you have any doubt, regarding how to run a successful restaurant you can contact us here.

When talking about cookers for most people there’s an obvious first choice and that’s a slow cooker a choice that has often irked me. Why not a pressure cooker? I have been using one for a long time and love it but I am sure lots of you still have questions and doubts. So today I am going to take some time out and share with you the 5 reasons I always recommend pressure cookers over slow cookers.

Perfect for unplanned meals

Like the name suggests slow cookers are actually slow comparatively. So if you’ve got a party at let’s say 9 you’ve got to get started by 5-6 to get things done on time whereas with the latter you could wait until 7-8 pm and yet end up with a tender and juicy steak or stew.

But it comes down to your work style. Like getting things done early? Sure get slow cooker but if you’d rather wait or are lazy and disorganized a pressure cooker works best.

Efficient at high altitudes

At heights water tends to have a lower boiling point which means cooking of beans, lentils etc. in slow cookers is going to be slower and inefficient as compared to a pressure cooker.

Apart from that most slow cookers prep food at increased temperatures and while it’s assumed safe it’s not ideal when you need your stew or soup to be cooked at low heat.

Takes up less space

Cramped for room on the kitchen counter? Well then a slow cooker is a big no. Not only because of its bigger dimensions but also because a slow cooker generally can only be used for one task and that’s slow cooking.

While on the other hand a pressure cooker is smaller and also allows you to sauté or brown ingredients in case the recipe calls for it once they are cooked.

Ideal for vegetarian foods

Love beans or veggies? Then note that a slow cooker only tends to make them soggy and soft and neither do they taste the same especially the beans. Comparatively the pressure cooker does a far better job in lesser time and keeps the beans from splitting and once it’s ready you can further crisp it up and add a few more flavors by putting on the grill or stir frying it.

Helps with cooking variety

One of the best things about these cookers is their unmatched ability to make and store soups and stews. Yes a slow cooker does an efficient job but what sets a this cooker apart is its ability to act as a container i.e. store food which in turn increases shelf life, a process often referred to as canning.

This is especially useful for restaurants offering soups and soup lovers alike. An investment worth the price tag.

Have your say on this in the comments section below and let us know what’s worked best for you.

A perfectly grilled and juicy steak is hard to turn down any day. After all who does not love the smoky flavor and smell right? But grilled dishes aren’t always about chicken legs or steaks. There’s more to grilling than that. So today we decided to take a tour around and compile this list of 5 mouth-watering grill recipes that are simply hard to miss out on.

Stuffed Jalapenos

Want to tickle your spice buds? Well this combination of bacon, some cheese and cream layered into jalapeno peppers, covered with foil and grilled till cooked well is exactly what you need.

Usually served fried with breadcrumbs, the grill version adds not only a healthy touch but also flavors you’d miss out on otherwise. In case you prep them over night for a party simply refrigerate it and grill accordingly.

Blue Cheese burgers

What’s a burger if it isn’t grilled right? And these blue cheese burgers are simply too hard to resist. If grilled right they’ll come out as one of the moistest and flavorsome burgers you’ll ever taste and thus are the perfect burger recipe for any restaurant.

To take the health quotient up a notch we would recommend you switch to whole grain buns but otherwise it tastes best with English muffins.

Flank Steak

A grill recipe list isn’t ever complete without a steak but this isn’t an ordinary steak recipe. These flank steaks combined together with some cilantro and almond pesto packs an awesome spicy punch.

So if you love steak add this to the top of the list. Grilling should take about 5-6 minutes. Once done, slice them diagonally as thin as possible. For the dip recipe, check out the video below.

Arugula and yellow tomato veggie salad

Any vegetarians in the house? Well here’s a veggie salad you’ll love. It’s a perfect evening salad to cool off on hot summer days. The smokiness and other flavors of the grilled onions, red peppers combined together with the arugula and sweetness of the yellow tomato add a refreshing touch.

This salad is easy to prep and should take about 2-3 minutes on the grill and thus makes the perfect on the go lunch for office goers.

Spicy chicken and chutney (Indian Style)

Need a quick yet yummy Indian dish for dinner tonight with your guests? This grilled chicken with Indian spices and tomato chutney is the ideal recipe. Takes about 20 minutes to cook and is the perfect combo of sweet and spicy.

You can further serve it with some steamed rice or other grilled veggies like broccoli, beans, carrots etc. This is one Indian dish I am glad I’ll never have to pay for.

Grilled salsa

Bored of the regular, sweet salsa? Here’s a one with a smoky twist and will make sure those boring nachos or grilled fish don’t taste the same again. Here’s what you need to do for it.

Appliances are the essence of every kitchen whether you’re cooking dinner at home or running a restaurant. Having the right equipment can make a world of difference.

Not only will you save tons of hours and effort but in the long run it’s cost effective too. So exactly what appliances are we talking about here? Here’s what those running a small scale restaurant must have.

Blender

This goes without saying, a blender is one the most widely used appliances and is simply a must but a question we often get asked is whether an immersion model is better or a countertop one. Well it’s an easy choice.

A countertop model is perfect for restaurants and can be further upgraded to add more power and functionality at lower cost as business grows. An immersion blender is best suited for home use as it’s smaller, cheap and perfect for small tasks like puree etc.

Pressure Cookers

Surprised? Contrary to popular belief pressure cookers beat slow cookers hands down. It’s the perfect utensil for those with smaller workspace and to top it all off it’s also much faster, a necessary quality for restaurants.

With these cookers recipes like hard boiled eggs, brown rice etc. can be cooked in minutes but in case you’re still tangled over the decision about the best cooker, get the best of both worlds with an instant pot.

Electric Kettle

Tea and coffee are the mainstays of most lifestyles and thus you’re going to get plenty of orders and to keep up an electric kettle will come in handy. Its cost and energy efficient and will save you plenty of hours as you’ll not be spending time boiling water on stoves.

The latest models come with pre-set temperature variations for green, oolong, black teas and coffee. The Breville Temperature kettle is one such model and worth every penny you’ll invest.

Food Processor

Multitasking is important for the success of any restaurant and thus a food processor is indispensable. Why? That’s because whether you’re looking to prep some dough for pasta or grind meat for meatballs or blend together ingredients for puree, a food processor can cover it all.

If you’re only starting out get a 3 cup processor as it’s easy to fit in and costs less but if you’re looking for an upgrade a 12 cup should be the ideal choice.

Stand Mixer

Our pastries, cookies, and cakes your forte? Well, then a food processor alone isn’t going to cut it. It’s time to get real and go big and stand mixer is precisely what you’ll need.

Not only are they more efficient with doughs and batter with the multiple attachments and upgrades even tasks like grinding, chopping etc. can be done within minutes. Opt for a commercial stand mixer for large scale production.

Apart from these industrial scale ovens, good quality pans, stoves etc. are few other essential tools.

If you have any doubts regarding the kitchen appliance, you can ask your queries here.

-Comfort:

One of the important reasons why you should get a humidifier is the comfort and health benefits they provide you and your family. With the improvement of humidity in the room there are fewer chances of asthma and allergic reactions and also it provides comfort to anyone with a cold.

The increase of humidity can keep the inside of your nasal passages well moisturized and helps you heal faster and also improves sinus health. It also helps forbidding snoring and provides a quality sleep for you and your family.

-Safety:

A cool mist humidifier is chosen preferably than a warm mist humidifier due to safety reasons. Since a warm mist humidifier heats water to create steam there may be some chances that children or pets burn themselves on the unit. Due to the same reason, a cool mist humidifier should be kept in the room.

-Cost:

Again the same reason, a warm mist humidifier uses boiled water to create steam and for heating water, it uses more energy, whereas, a cool mist humidifier only uses a fan. If you are thinking of having your humidifier on for a large portion of the day or thinking of buying more than one humidifier for the home then the extra cost can be a problem. Buying a cool water humidifier can be an affordable option for the time.

-The Area Covered:

Cool mist humidifier is able to escalate their effects over a much wider area, while on the other hand, warm mist humidifiers are able to have a more concentrated effect close to the humidifier with less effect on the areas away from it. Due to this reason, always try to have a warm mist humidifier for small rooms and for large rooms a cool mist humidifier is best suited.

Conclusion

If we conclude which one is the best, although a warm mist humidifier has its own benefits still it loses to the cool mist humidifier in the important areas of safety, price and area covered.

So if you are looking to improve the comfort and health benefits for you and your family we would recommend you to get a cool mist humidifier.

Pictured here is a wonderful Lebanese dish that I made last night called ‘bazella’. Bazella literally means peas, but it also refers to this dish of peas and carrots, usually accompanied by chunks of lamb in the same pot. I made the vegetarian version. This is so much more than just peas and carrot. They are simmered in a broth of onions, tomatoes, spices, and in the end, a ton of cilantro and fresh lemon juice is thrown in. Good, simple soul food.

I decided to get busy in the kitchen today and make mini spinach pies, or ‘fatayer bi sbanikh’. I ended up making so much dough and didn’t have enough of the spinach filling, so I had to get creative. First, the spinach being rolled up in the whole wheat dough.

Then, fresh out of the oven, steaming hot.

I also filled some with the leftover vegan cheese I had from the pizza I made the other day, then I made a few zaatar bread (zaatar is an Arabic spice made of sesame seeds, sumac, and thyme, traditionally eaten with bread), and I even filled one with some dark vegan chocolate I had sitting in the cupboards. Yum! Eventually, I ran out of fillings and had to bake the rest of the dough as rolls. I will freeze them and pull them out when needed.

That’s the zaatar bread.

I plan on making a ton of spinach filling next time I make these. Over the next few months, I will make a batch every couple weeks or so and freeze it. They freeze really well, and I want something that I can take out of the freezer and heat up and eat within 5 minutes when baby E is here. I don’t usually buy anything with wheat flour in it, and if I make anything, it is always whole wheat. This is a good exception, as it is mostly spinach and a very good convenience food that can be frozen.

After eating a few bowls of bazella, followed by the taste-testing of spinach pies, and the various other filled pies, I passed out on the bed. Now I’m off to wash dishes and then go for my nightly freezing walk.

I picked up a few cookie tins at the dollar store, as well as some Christmas-y lining paper. Tonight Todd and I baked lots of cookies and packaged them in these tins to send off to his parents and his sisters. Todd also made a CD for his sister’s husband. And we’re done with that side of the family. Bonus: I get to ship them all to one location, as the in-laws will be visiting the sister-in-law in San Diego.

As for this side of the “family” (mine), we’re still trying to figure out how to avoid Christmas, with my grandmother being sick and the whole “it might be her last Christmas” guilt trip that we’re getting. Apparently, my harsh letter expressing my absolute unwillingness to be a part of Christmas doesn’t mean anything. Bastard I wanted to enjoy some grilled mouth-watering dishes but everything is spoiled.

Christmas Cookie Tins:

Due to all that fun, nerve-wracking driving that I did in the last week, my right shoulder is absolutely killing me. The pain is shooting up my neck and down to my legs. Todd has been diligently massaging it, but I have no idea how I’m going to get to work tomorrow. Oh, that’s right – yet another reason to not go in! At this rate, we’ll be broke in no time. Weeee!

I can always sell my body. There’s got to be someone out there who wants a hormonal poofy pregnant lady, right? Ha, ha, ha.

I made vegan stuffed shells, based on a few recipes I read, but mostly based on pulling some ideas out of my ass. They turned out yummy, but I made the mistake of cooking them in the oven for too long – mostly because I used brown rice pasta shells, and was too impatient to wait for them to cook in the boiling water on the stove top – so I stuck them in the oven instead for a long time causing the tofu/spinach mixture that was initially very yummy to become rather not-as-yummy.

Before going into the oven, I sprinkled a bit of nutritional yeast on top and then loaded it with spaghetti sauce.

Out of the oven, steaming hot.

Next time I will cook the shells all the way through, and then only stick the dish in the oven for 5 minutes at the most.

No recipe, but the ingredients were:

1 jar organic fat-free sugar-free spaghetti sauce, pureed (Whole Foods is the only place in the world that I have found a spaghetti sauce that doesn’t have oil, sugar and is completely organic).

1 8 oz. box Tinkyada brown rice stuffed shells

And in the filling:

1 lb extra firm tofu

1 lb spinach

2 cloves garlic

tahini

a tiny bit of nutritional yeast

We can make the sauce using a stand mixer attachment. You will be able to make the filling and the sauce quickly in the stand mixer.

I’ll be making this again soon, perhaps with a little more spinach, a little less tofu, and a little less cooking time. Yummy!

I loosely followed this recipe with variations to make it healthier. I just tested a piece and it is moist, lightly sweet, and delicious. I don’t bake very often and try to avoid whole wheat flours in general, but the occasional exception is fine. I used whole spelled to this bread. It is lighter than whole wheat.

1/2 teaspoon vanilla (I probably would have used a whole teaspoon, but I ran out)

1.5 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.

Mash the bananas and add all the wet ingredients.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix well. Pour batter into the pan. I used a 9×5 loaf pan, and as you can see it rose beautifully. Baked in the oven at 275-300 for at least an hour and a half. (I prefer to bake banana bread at longer and lower temps – I think this is what helped the bread come out so moist).

Oh, I also threw in a couple spoonfuls of raw unsweetened cocoa bean nibbles. It gives the bread a nice little crunch. Yes, baking with really expensive raw cocoa beans is kind of stupid.

This is really easy to make and quite delicious, I encourage you to try it. Of course, you can use sugar or maple syrup instead of agave nectar, and regular flour instead of whole spelled – but why would you? If you have any doubts feel free to contact us here. 🙂

The best feature of a stand mixer is that it comes along with many attachments and accessories which can be used to perform a variety of tasks and makes your work a whole lot easier. With so many stand mixer attachments, the need to buy other kitchen tools to perform various tasks has reduced. Are you wondering which stand mixer attachment should you invest in?

We have compiled a list of the 6 stand mixer attachments which you must have for your kitchen:

Grain Mill

One of the best stand mixer attachments which you should definitely have is a grain mill attachment. A grain mill attachment eliminates the need to buy a Grain mill and helps you in milling your own flour and making your own bread as and when needed. With this attachment, you can get a fresh loaf of bread whenever you want.

Meat Grinder

Another great attachment which is a must-have is the meat grinder attachment. This attachment comes handy in grinding your sausages and mincing your meat for hamburgers. With this attachment, you don’t have to manually slice or grind the meat anymore, your stand mixer will do it for you in just a matter of minutes. You can then use this ground meat on your hotdogs or hamburgers and make your own fresh fillings for your burgers and sandwiches now.

Citrus Juicer

Another great attachment for your stand mixer is the Citrus Juicer which can be used to produce any fruit juice that you want. All you have to do is feed the citrus juicer a fruit and it would get the juice out of it in just a few minutes. So, now you can have a daily dose of fresh fruit juice in no time at all.

Beater

This is another must-have attachment for your stand mixer as it comes handy in performing all the tasks of a hand mixer and can mix dough or prepare cake and cookie batter for you quickly and efficiently. You don’t have to put in any manual effort anymore, you can just relax and your stand mixer will take care of it all.

Wire Whip

This attachment is a great investment for all those people who love whisking eggs for breakfast or who love cakes a lot. This handy attachment can whisk your eggs quickly and provide you consistently whisked eggs which you can then use in your cake batter too. One of the best stand mixer attachments to have, this one is a must-have in your list if you don’t want to tire your arms with the constant whisking anymore.

Food Processor

Well, this one is actually a no-brainer really. A food processor attachment is the best attachment for your stand mixer as it allows you to cut up and slice up vegetables and fruits quickly and easily. In fact, with the help of this attachment, you can also make vegetable purees for yourself with tremendous ease.

Irrespective of what the TV shows and movies make you believe successfully running a restaurant whether big or small is something newbies and so called accomplished businessmen struggle with alike.

It needs tons of work, sweat, discipline and most of all perfect time and task management as you’ll be cooking, tasting, managing, recruiting, need I go on? So we interviewed 5 of best chefs around and asked them what it takes. Here’s what most had to say.

Stay Focussed

Well it’s easy to lose sight of what you love to do with so much work in hand. From one spot to the next it’s always going to seem like a whirlwind of a day which at times gets really frustrating. After all if you love the kitchen that’s where you’d want to be right?

Remember what matters, in the end, is the quality of the food you serve and the customer experience. Give them a lifetime of a dining experience and your PR will peak.

Lay a strong foundation

Not only for your building but laying down a strong foundation or in other words streamlining the work early on sets up a nice tone for the future. You’ll be managing 100’s of tasks and people which during hectic times can result in mismanagement or inconsistencies.

Set firm systems and line of communications amongst waiters, chefs, and other members. No two restaurants function the same way, see what best suits yours.

Build the right team

One of the most difficult tasks you’ll need to accomplish is setting up a team. Finding people that share your interests or have same passion isn’t easy especially if you’ve just started out and have small, hot, cramped up kitchens.

In the end, it’s about getting the job done irrespective of the circumstances and helping your employees learn and adapt. That’s how the best restaurants operate. Here’s a team building guide you’d like to read about first.

Maintain a balance

It’s easy to get caught up with the work but one the best traits of any entrepreneur is that they always find a way back home at the end of the day. Finding this balance especially if you’ve got kids is important.

Trouble at home means trouble at work. Everyone starts small. Make the most of what’s around you and don’t let complacency slip in.

Keep up the quality

Like I said everyone starts small but only the ones that take their service and quality seriously are the ones that succeed. Make the most of the funds you have. Bring the best ingredients, materials and more importantly the best employees.

Having happy employees translates to happy customers. You’ll not always around so make sure you train them right and treat them right and you’ll have a lot less to be tensed about or running around.

If you have any doubt, regarding how to run a successful restaurant you can contact us here.

When talking about cookers for most people there’s an obvious first choice and that’s a slow cooker a choice that has often irked me. Why not a pressure cooker? I have been using one for a long time and love it but I am sure lots of you still have questions and doubts. So today I am going to take some time out and share with you the 5 reasons I always recommend pressure cookers over slow cookers.

Perfect for unplanned meals

Like the name suggests slow cookers are actually slow comparatively. So if you’ve got a party at let’s say 9 you’ve got to get started by 5-6 to get things done on time whereas with the latter you could wait until 7-8 pm and yet end up with a tender and juicy steak or stew.

But it comes down to your work style. Like getting things done early? Sure get slow cooker but if you’d rather wait or are lazy and disorganized a pressure cooker works best.

Efficient at high altitudes

At heights water tends to have a lower boiling point which means cooking of beans, lentils etc. in slow cookers is going to be slower and inefficient as compared to a pressure cooker.

Apart from that most slow cookers prep food at increased temperatures and while it’s assumed safe it’s not ideal when you need your stew or soup to be cooked at low heat.

Takes up less space

Cramped for room on the kitchen counter? Well then a slow cooker is a big no. Not only because of its bigger dimensions but also because a slow cooker generally can only be used for one task and that’s slow cooking.

While on the other hand a pressure cooker is smaller and also allows you to sauté or brown ingredients in case the recipe calls for it once they are cooked.

Ideal for vegetarian foods

Love beans or veggies? Then note that a slow cooker only tends to make them soggy and soft and neither do they taste the same especially the beans. Comparatively the pressure cooker does a far better job in lesser time and keeps the beans from splitting and once it’s ready you can further crisp it up and add a few more flavors by putting on the grill or stir frying it.

Helps with cooking variety

One of the best things about these cookers is their unmatched ability to make and store soups and stews. Yes a slow cooker does an efficient job but what sets a this cooker apart is its ability to act as a container i.e. store food which in turn increases shelf life, a process often referred to as canning.

This is especially useful for restaurants offering soups and soup lovers alike. An investment worth the price tag.

Have your say on this in the comments section below and let us know what’s worked best for you.

A perfectly grilled and juicy steak is hard to turn down any day. After all who does not love the smoky flavor and smell right? But grilled dishes aren’t always about chicken legs or steaks. There’s more to grilling than that. So today we decided to take a tour around and compile this list of 5 mouth-watering grill recipes that are simply hard to miss out on.

Stuffed Jalapenos

Want to tickle your spice buds? Well this combination of bacon, some cheese and cream layered into jalapeno peppers, covered with foil and grilled till cooked well is exactly what you need.

Usually served fried with breadcrumbs, the grill version adds not only a healthy touch but also flavors you’d miss out on otherwise. In case you prep them over night for a party simply refrigerate it and grill accordingly.

Blue Cheese burgers

What’s a burger if it isn’t grilled right? And these blue cheese burgers are simply too hard to resist. If grilled right they’ll come out as one of the moistest and flavorsome burgers you’ll ever taste and thus are the perfect burger recipe for any restaurant.

To take the health quotient up a notch we would recommend you switch to whole grain buns but otherwise it tastes best with English muffins.

Flank Steak

A grill recipe list isn’t ever complete without a steak but this isn’t an ordinary steak recipe. These flank steaks combined together with some cilantro and almond pesto packs an awesome spicy punch.

So if you love steak add this to the top of the list. Grilling should take about 5-6 minutes. Once done, slice them diagonally as thin as possible. For the dip recipe, check out the video below.

Arugula and yellow tomato veggie salad

Any vegetarians in the house? Well here’s a veggie salad you’ll love. It’s a perfect evening salad to cool off on hot summer days. The smokiness and other flavors of the grilled onions, red peppers combined together with the arugula and sweetness of the yellow tomato add a refreshing touch.

This salad is easy to prep and should take about 2-3 minutes on the grill and thus makes the perfect on the go lunch for office goers.

Spicy chicken and chutney (Indian Style)

Need a quick yet yummy Indian dish for dinner tonight with your guests? This grilled chicken with Indian spices and tomato chutney is the ideal recipe. Takes about 20 minutes to cook and is the perfect combo of sweet and spicy.

You can further serve it with some steamed rice or other grilled veggies like broccoli, beans, carrots etc. This is one Indian dish I am glad I’ll never have to pay for.

Grilled salsa

Bored of the regular, sweet salsa? Here’s a one with a smoky twist and will make sure those boring nachos or grilled fish don’t taste the same again. Here’s what you need to do for it.

Appliances are the essence of every kitchen whether you’re cooking dinner at home or running a restaurant. Having the right equipment can make a world of difference.

Not only will you save tons of hours and effort but in the long run it’s cost effective too. So exactly what appliances are we talking about here? Here’s what those running a small scale restaurant must have.

Blender

This goes without saying, a blender is one the most widely used appliances and is simply a must but a question we often get asked is whether an immersion model is better or a countertop one. Well it’s an easy choice.

A countertop model is perfect for restaurants and can be further upgraded to add more power and functionality at lower cost as business grows. An immersion blender is best suited for home use as it’s smaller, cheap and perfect for small tasks like puree etc.

Pressure Cookers

Surprised? Contrary to popular belief pressure cookers beat slow cookers hands down. It’s the perfect utensil for those with smaller workspace and to top it all off it’s also much faster, a necessary quality for restaurants.

With these cookers recipes like hard boiled eggs, brown rice etc. can be cooked in minutes but in case you’re still tangled over the decision about the best cooker, get the best of both worlds with an instant pot.

Electric Kettle

Tea and coffee are the mainstays of most lifestyles and thus you’re going to get plenty of orders and to keep up an electric kettle will come in handy. Its cost and energy efficient and will save you plenty of hours as you’ll not be spending time boiling water on stoves.

The latest models come with pre-set temperature variations for green, oolong, black teas and coffee. The Breville Temperature kettle is one such model and worth every penny you’ll invest.

Food Processor

Multitasking is important for the success of any restaurant and thus a food processor is indispensable. Why? That’s because whether you’re looking to prep some dough for pasta or grind meat for meatballs or blend together ingredients for puree, a food processor can cover it all.

If you’re only starting out get a 3 cup processor as it’s easy to fit in and costs less but if you’re looking for an upgrade a 12 cup should be the ideal choice.

Stand Mixer

Our pastries, cookies, and cakes your forte? Well, then a food processor alone isn’t going to cut it. It’s time to get real and go big and stand mixer is precisely what you’ll need.

Not only are they more efficient with doughs and batter with the multiple attachments and upgrades even tasks like grinding, chopping etc. can be done within minutes. Opt for a commercial stand mixer for large scale production.

Apart from these industrial scale ovens, good quality pans, stoves etc. are few other essential tools.

If you have any doubts regarding the kitchen appliance, you can ask your queries here.